Stand by me
by Katreda
Summary: Hinata is raped by a man whose face is hidden and horrified, she discovers that he left her an unwanted gift: a pregnancy. She will have decisions to make but the person she expected the less to help shows up. Can Shikamaru repair what has been broken?
1. Chapter 1

Hello. I wrote this fic long ago and posted it but I was hit (as usual) with something commonly called "writer's block" and deleted the fic, unfortunately. It's now back online, with a few modifications. I hope to hear comments from readers soon :D

Stand by me

Chapter 1

In the most utter silence of the night, fireworks exploded into brightening coloured stars and the crowd immediately erupted into gasps of admiration, whistles and laughter. The first fireworks were majestic and those that followed lacked of surprise but the people enjoyed them anyway, happy to be out in the night in groups to attend one of the most promising festival of the year, Konoha's festival. It was an occasion to celebrate their hometown village and its kage, and a lot of strangers came to assist to the festivities, tourists seeking for a night of pleasure and freedom in such a protected city. Kids ran around with cotton candy while the parents watched after them lazily, letting the children having fun for once without them around.

Hinata also did the same, though she reached an age that she could go around without being scolded. She walked past the stands, looking with envy people participate into games of fishing or ring throwing but the large numbers of strangers slowed her curiosity and she contented herself to observe their euphoria. The pale lavender kimono suited her elegantly but behind her father's back, she had grabbed her eternal coat and as soon as she was out of his sight, she had put it on. As always, she hated revealing her feminine forms to anyone, even to Kiba and Shino who were her partners since four years.

She was now sixteen and passed the Chunin exam barely one month ago, after the third attempt. She had hoped that her Father would be pleased but deep inside, she knew what to expect. Hanabi also passed the exam at the same time and succeeded on the first try, as expected. He congratulated them both, even hugging them like a parent would do with his children. Yet, while he took Hanabi in his arm with such obvious joy, he gave his older daughter a simple hug, barely pressing his arms under her shoulders. He still hasn't removed his title of heiress of the Hyuga Clan but if she had failed one more time the exam, he wouldn't have hesitated to do so and she knew it.

The young girl continued her path, avoiding bumping into people. It was a hard task, as it seemed that the whole village have gathered together as one tonight. Even the ninjas that were out on missions hurried to finish their jobs to enjoy the festivities. She herself just arrived from one three days ago, along with Kiba and Sakura. She also heard that Naruto came back one day before her.

She still held a crush toward the Kyubi-host but the strong feelings that she nourished for him has faded over time, leaving only the admiration that she always had for the way he lived his life, not to mention the physical attraction that the teenager had on her. At twelve years old, she never really considered his physical appearance as an aspect to look at but four years later, he became quite handsome and she always perked in his direction, her heart pounding ever so strongly when he smiled. He had trained so much that his body also changed nicely, minor the normal process of becoming an adult, leaving some girls not indifferent to him. Despite all that, she couldn't help but think that it was hopeless to think of him as her possible boyfriend. Even if she confesses her feelings for him, he would just think that she loved him as a friend. Yes, he was that dense.

She reached what seemed the limit to the installations of the festival when she noticed that less and less people hanged around that area. Before her, the forest extended on miles and she merely hesitated an instant before entering in the woods. Hinata really didn't want to stay around any longer than she already did, their presence making her feel uncomfortable when her two friends didn't accompany her.

The night had fallen since a while and she had a hard time advancing but she soon recognized the training grounds and moved forwards with a little more confidence. There was no need to be scared by the dark shadows of trees. Ninjas were trained in many ways, including moving silently in the shadows after all.

Her favourite spot appeared in her view and she took off her sandals, leaving them on the grass. The fresh grass under her bare feet made her shiver and she sighed in relief. It has been such a long time since she hasn't done that. Back when she was a kid, she loved running in the yard without her shoes on and her father often reprimanded her. Of course, he disliked seeing her doing something else than training but she was a child after all and she could enjoy a little of free time. She liked feeling healthy grass and sand between her toes or the texture of a rock when she climbed on one.

Hinata finally settle down on the ground, her arms behind her body to support her weight and she stared at the sky. The sound of fireworks had diminished but she could see them up there. Here was one that had the shape of a heart; that was certainly cute. And this one looked like the symbol of ninja's headband, the symbol of Konoha. This last one sparked off a horde of happy shouts. Everyone was proud of their village, including her.

Absorbed in her activity, Hinata failed to hear the footsteps that were coming in her direction until it was too late. She turned around and gasped and a strong hand stopped her from saying a word, pressing a clothe while the other one pushed her on the ground roughly. As soon as the person that assaulted her removed his hand, she let out a high-pitched scream but was quickly slapped in the face.

Dazed by the blow, she didn't register what was happening but she felt the cold metal of her headband pressing against her mouth. She noticed how sluggish her body suddenly responded. Her mind made the connection with the clothe; it must have been damped with gas, but it was too late. Meanwhile, the person moved on top of her and she was stuck there, unable to wiggle her way out. Her eyes wandered to her aggressor; the person was wearing a hood and strangely, sunglasses too. She figured by the shape of the body that it was a man but her thoughts were interrupted when her kimono was pulled up her waist and her underwear slipped down her thighs.

Horrified, she struggled against her fate despite the gas confusing her senses. His touches repulsed her to the core of her being. His gentle kisses to calm her down only did the opposite. The man whispered affectionate words to her ears while pressing his body against her and she responded by using her head to knock him off her. Visibly tired of the little game, he took his own pants off and went ahead with his desires, hurting her when he dug his nails into her pale skin.

It only lasted ten minutes but she hated every one of them, crying silently through this hell. Once he was done, she was past struggling and shedding tears. Her head on the side, she watched him leave with empty eyes, emptier than the Hyuga's.

Shikamaru did nothing to suppress the yawn that was coming in great force. Instead, he opened his mouth widely, exhaling the air out of his lungs. He put his behind his head and stared at the blue and white sky, looking vainly for something worth his interest. He was growing annoyed with the whispering behind his back, but every time he turned around to see what was going on, the two girls immediately stopped and looked at him innocently. Then he would go back in front and after a minute, the whispering would start again. _Women…_

He was paired up with Tenten and Hinata for this mission and when he asked Tsunade-sama about why she would put together such different people, she had shrugged, saying that there was no particular reason to this. It just happened that their files were on the top of her stuff and she decided to give it a try. He really didn't understand women. What had become of strategy? He wasn't fit to work along the Hyuga heiress and that loud mouth Tenten. He wasn't even fit to work with two girls!

In terms of abilities, the three of them had totally different fighting style. While Tenten always resorted to weapons of all sorts, Hinata used her Gentle Fist jutsu taught to Hyugas from generated and he inherited the shadow imitation technique from his father. They have never worked together before so the chances of problems rising up increased much more than if Ino and Choji backed him up. However, he wasn't called a genius for nothing and would make any formation work.

Moreover, he couldn't stand all the attention and details that women often brought along with them. The first night they spent together, Tenten not-so gently forced him to sleep far away from the camp and he had been happy to comply, though the warmth of the fire tended to make him approach the camp discreetly. Also like now, they were having, _again_, their little personal chatting. Walking with them was such a drag.

While Shikamaru rummaged on this, Tenten pulled on Hinata's sleeve of her coat pleadingly. Hinata asked herself if her friend would ever stop nagging her. She was getting tired of this. "Hinata, you know that you shouldn't be on this mission. If something happens, you might lose your-"

"Don't say it, please. Shikamaru might hear us."

"Don't worry, he's not even interested in our conversation. Come on, let that lazy bum and I do the work and then we can go talk to the Hokage." Tenten was determined to win over this argument, but somehow Hinata knew how to hold her ground when something was very important to her.

The Hyuga heiress shook her head violently, bringing her small hands to her chin. "No, there is no way that the Hokage learns about this. As soon as I get rid of the child, I'll be able to take other missions so there is no sense in alerting her. Alright?" This was the unfortunate truth; she has been raped on the night of Konoha's festival.

After her aggressor left, she had remained in the same position that she had been forced to but after a while, she managed to crawl all the way back to the village, still disoriented by the drug. The fear that someone could discover her in that state motivated her more than anything. She quickly adjusted her kimono and fled back home when her forces came back and slid under her blankets with her clothes still on. She had heard of raping at school, as it was a common fear among girls. Informed by nurses, Hinata had learned that it was normal to feel the way she felt; dirty, shameful, alone. It wasn't her fault, she kept repeating herself, and it really wasn't. Yet, she felt like vomiting all the time, wanting to reject His presence inside her. That was until she really started vomiting.

It had begun three weeks after the event, one peaceful morning. She woke up at five and literally ran to the bathroom, leaving over the sink to throw up. After the third morning, she decided to keep it a secret. It never crossed her mind before now she could be pregnant. However now, the possibility seemed so real that it would give make her head spin. It was one of those days when the desperation had grasped her heart and that she had fell on the ground while walking that Tenten found her.

Her cousin's sparring partner had brought her under a tree and poured water down her throat. Worried, Tenten had insisted to know what was going on and helpless, Hinata had revealed what happened to her and her fears.

Ten weeks after the incident, there was no mistaking it; she was definitely pregnant. The breasts suddenly taking more size, the fatigue and mostly, the lack of period proved without a doubt the presence of a stranger inside her body. As much as she always wished to be a mother, she wanted nothing to do with this child that came from her rapist. She would get rid of it in a well fought battle and continue her life as if nothing happened.

"Noooo this is bad!" The female kunoichi contested violently. Her higher tone of voice drew unwanted attention on them and she threw Shikamaru a mean look. As soon as he turned his head around, annoyed by all of this, she resumed what she has been saying. "Hinata, you can't make yourself abort! This is your child, after all!"

"Well you aren't the one in this situation, are you? I will do whatever I think is best for me!" Hinata snapped at her. Infuriated, she speeded her pace and joined up with Shikamaru, who said nothing. Tenten stayed back for a while, looking at her cousin's friend. She has never been really close with Hinata but from what she knew about the girl, she was gentle and shy, always making sure that she bothered no one. Yet, as her pregnancy progressed, she changed drastically, losing patience with people and feeling often angry. Deep inside though, Tenten believed that Hinata had a hard time coping with everything at the same time and since she was the only one that knew about her secret, she was also the only one that could help her.

Shikamaru glanced towards Hinata and frowned. The Hyuga girl was steaming! He would never have thought to see the day that she would get angry. He always saw her as a passive person that let the others order her around. Her character didn't fit with the job's description at all. Noticing that the young man was looking at her, she glared at him and he quickly turned his gaze back to the road. Yup, this was going to be troublesome indeed.

It's hard to work on an old fic. The story is good, but it's the way that it is written that doesn't please me. It just means a lot of work to do!


	2. Chapter 2

Bonjour tout le monde. Comment allez-vous? Did I lose you with my French? It's my first language and I'm not fluent yet in English so if you see mistakes, do not hesitate to point them out but please explain why it's a mistake because I might not understand otherwise. If it's too bad, I might ask a bilingual friend to beta-read the fic. Well, enjoy this chapter for now.

* * *

Stand by me

Chapter 2

_Something is definitely wrong_, Shikamaru thought as he stared at the soothing swaying of the flames of the campfire. Their mission was only supposed to last a week, ten days to the limit. They have been hired by a lord from a village near Konoha to retrieve his precious treasure that has been stolen by some renegades on the loose. They already knew from the start where to find the criminals and it was only a matter of time before they reached their hideout. Yet when they arrived there, they found no one and surely nothing suspicious. The fourteenth day had just passed and they were still running around in circles. He suspected that the information that he was given turned out to be false. This was really getting annoying, considering that he also had to spend the whole two weeks with two girls with major mood swings.

He looked up in the direction of the lake and sighed. Bathing was another inconvenience, as he always had to stay behind and wait until the girls were done. Then when he could finally go in, they were whining after fifteen minutes that he was taking too long. Well actually, Hinata didn't seem to care about the time he spent in the lake, Tenten did. Speaking of Hinata…

Shikamaru didn't know the girl as much as he used to anymore. Everyone that used to be the Rookie 9 always thought that Hinata was a timid girl that wanted to be stronger but was still fragile. Obviously, something had shaken her off since then but he never spoke to her outside missions so he couldn't really find the reason behind this change.

Maybe it had something to do with Tenten. After all, all the two of them have been doing lately is bickering in his back. Hinata always seemed annoyed by the older kunoichi's presence and that meant a lot of tension in the team since Tenten always stuck with the Hyuga. He really liked the previous Hinata, when she was all smiles and stuttering. It was getting bothersome, having her around. But despite his public displays of annoyance, secretly he hoped that everything was alright for the girl.

The night had fallen a long time ago. Once again, Hinata couldn't sleep for more than two or three hours at the time. Whenever she got too deep in her slumber, a vague feeling of sickness woke her up and she was up for at least another hour, tossing the sheets until she was tired enough to get back to bed.

This time, Hinata quietly got up without waking the two teenagers. The wind blew in her hair and she shivered slightly, crossing her arms to keep the warmth to herself. The stars weren't out tonight, covered by unwelcomed clouds that promised a day of raining, making their mission more difficult than it already was. Ignoring the weather, the cold girl followed a sinuous path that led to the lake they had discovered earlier. As she walked by, the insects stopped singing and hurried to fly away towards the water. In the darkness, she reached the shore and sat down on a small cliff that gave a nice view on the lake only slightly illuminated by the rising sun in the distance.

Glancing around, she stayed in an alerted state. Ever since her 'accident', she had a hard time going out alone, especially in the night, but still needed some time to ponder, something that couldn't be granted when one was in a mission with its team mates. Once she was sure that nobody was around, she allowed her shoulders to lower and took a deep breath. Even if something did happen, Tenten and Shikamaru weren't that far and she had her kunai in her grip at all times. No one would lay a finger on her ever again.

Relaxing wasn't an easy task when she came here in the first place to think about her dilemma. Hinata laughed bitterly at that, was there really something to decide? She had already made up her mind and Tenten was vainly trying to convince her otherwise but her arguments wouldn't work on her. The older girl wanted her to stop making efforts and rest in order to keep the baby alive and healthy but they both knew that Hinata had no affection whatsoever for this child who was growing slowly inside her. It was simply an unwanted memory of that man who abused her and she was determined to get rid of his embarrassing gift. If her father came to learn that she was pregnant, she couldn't even imagine what would happen to her.

However, she couldn't stop thinking about the baby when she couldn't sleep, like now. When she would get angry, it was easy to think of this child as a constraining object and focus the hate that she felt towards her aggressor instead but sometimes, she was more vulnerable and let her guard down, Tenten's words echoing inside her head and haunting her.

This kid was hers, despite everything that she might say and come up with. This little baby was growing inside her belly, maybe aware in its subconscious of its mother's anger towards it and its progenitor. If she let nature do its share of the work, she could hold her baby in her arms and sing lullabies while watching it, discovering unfamiliar traits that belonged to its father, but always some of the Hyuga's, her's. Before she has been raped, she would never have believed that she would want to reject the presence of a child inside her but at the same time, no one expected to fall pregnant this way. She wished that she could just have it and live their life together, in happiness, see when her child would say its first words and managed to make its first steps towards its mommy.

Hinata brought her head between her knees, torn between the choices. Her eyes filled with tears that fell down her cheeks to the chin, dripping. What could she do?

Then she felt a hand pressing a clothe against her face and she vaguely remembered the similar incident two months ago before her mind slipped into darkness.

* * *

Tenten tossed and turned around, mumbling in her sleep something about winning over Neji. In her excitement, the kunoichi hit Shikamaru in the ribs with her elbow.

Shikamaru groaned at the rough awakening and sat down. Next to him, Tenten was still moving in her sleep, smiling for some reason he ignored. _What in the world is she dreaming about?_ The tired boy wondered. She was jiggling under her blanket that barely covered her anymore, to his embarrassment. She wasn't really wearing much, only a T-shirt and her underwear. He turned his head away and hurried to go outside.

Then it hit him. Hinata was nowhere to be seen.

He knew that she was sick from time to time and left the tent to do her business but she would usually stay near, in case they got attacked. He glanced around taking with a swift move a kunai attached to his leg and put it in front of his face, creeping through the vegetation. Alerted, he listened for a sound, any sounds that would show him the way to her and hopefully, she would just be bathing or something.

Thinking of that, he made his way to the lake. The place was quiet, except for the sounds of insects and ducks (1). He gave a look around lazily before staring at the ducks near a rock emerged out of the water; the perfect place to lie down for a while, until Hinata would come back from wherever she was. He kept thinking that she was fine but not seeing her anywhere worried him more than he thought that it would.

Hinata belonged to the same generation of ninja as him but it was the first time that he was actually working with her. He had liked her quiet personality from the beginning, back when they had met at the academy. She wasn't even a friend to him but he was still responsible of her and he didn't want something bad happening, mostly to such a nice girl.

The ducks flew away in a frightened course when he approached but he didn't mind. However, the young boy froze on the spot. _What the…_ On the ground next to the rock was the headband with the familiar leaf carved in the metal and since no one else than their team had a mission in these parts, he could only deduced whom it belonged to. Immediately, he turned around and ran to their camp.

_Come on, quit slapping me in the face and throw a blow to my abdomen! _

"You thought that you were going to catch us?"

_Keep hitting me until I lose my baby. _

"Stop it Kai, if we're going to keep her hostage, she has to stay alive."

_And then the others will rescue me and everything will go back to normal. My baby… _

Hinata received another blow in the face without making a move to stop it. Luckily, the man that had kidnapped her hasn't broken her nose or anything but surely, her body would be sore from all the punches he gave her. Already, the metallic taste of blood informed her of her poor state. Her aggressor pushed her on the hard ground and the Hyuga threw a quick look at her surroundings. Without activating her blood line, it was easy to guess that she was in a cave but she didn't dare to use to the Byakugan to evaluate her team mates' position.

A young man, the one that told her aggressor to give it up, placed himself between them, creating a shield for her that she appreciated. She was becoming scared, alone in the darkness and tied tightly. The dampness of the cavern was getting to her and she repressed a sneeze.

"Kai, did you hear me or are you playing deaf again? I don't mind stealing the lords' money. They're so rich and arrogant that they think they can mistreat us, but beating a woman… that's just not my thing." His vibrant voice has lowered down to merely a whisper.

The man called Kai looked older and bolder than the younger one and pushed him aside rudely with a grunt. "I don't give a damn about it, Jay. Get it through your head, you turned into a criminal the minute you laid a finger on those chests. There's no turning back now. Besides…" and Hinata shivered at his suggesting tone of voice "she was hired to eliminate us. Doesn't it make her a threat to our heroic gesture, Jay?"

The man looked at her unsurely, biting his lower lip. The nature of the question now hit her. Her life was in his hands and she was tied, beaten to a pulp. Shikamaru and Tenten didn't know where she was. She would have to get out of this mess by herself.

She had only one chance.

"S-sir, I wasn't ordered t-to kill you! J-j-just to get b-back the l-lords' treasures." She saw in the youngest's eyes relief but it was of short time as she heard Kai sneer loudly.

"And you sincerely believe that we will trust you? Even if it was true, you would have to kill us first. We won't ever give what's ours."

She had only chance and she blew it.

"B-b-but, I-" she was cut by his fist that connected with her jaw and she was sent flying, her back colliding with the hard rock. This was getting seriously out of hand. Jay yelled at Kai but his partner didn't listen to him. Instead, he grabbed her by the collar of her coat and lifted her.

"Shut up and take the money to our next rendez vous point. I'll take care of these brats for now." He let no room for discussion. Hinata heard Jay sigh and she knew that she was truly alone now. Desperate, she looked Jay leave, groping around on the wall until he disappeared through the tunnel of light. Her saviour had let her with this ignoble bully. She was done for.

She clung to the hope that the undecided man would come back and so her eyes were glued on that faint light but suddenly, the poor girl stopped breathing. Kai had kneeled down next to her. His hand traveled down her face to her neck and then closed firmly around it, though she felt no intention to strangle for now.

In the darkness, she followed the movements of his hand and the rhythm of his breathing that made her feel sick. Despite her, her legs shook nervously. It felt like the first Chunin exam four years ago, when Neji dissected her every thought. Only now she had no one to help her, no one to tell her to ignore this man's intimate touch. What could she do anyway? She has always been a helpless little girl that needed others in order to survive. Even when she was raped, she was unable to defend herself, despite all the training she had.

The vile man was now zipping down her coat, revealing her purple training outfit. Then he slipped one hand under it, exploring around her chest. He approached his face to hers and whispered "We might as well have a little fun before you die, no?"

Her eyes snapped open. It was happening all over again; the abuse, the pain, the intrusion of a man in her body. Her respiration became broken in her state of panic. She wouldn't let anyone treat her that way. No one would take her body for granted.

_No I don't want to. Nobody will ever touch me, never again! _

* * *

Again, since I didn't change a lot of things in this chapter, it still feels weird. I'm working on modifying the third chapter now.

(1) Yeah, I decided to add ducks O.o


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